A GROUP of paedophile hunters tracked down a Darlington man to the warehouse he worked in after he sent a picture of his genitals to a girl he believed to be 12-years-old.

Ian David Smith continued chatting with the girl, who in reality was an adult member of the Online Safety Team, despite being made fully aware of the decoy's online age.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the 42-year-old started sending sexualised messages to the girl before sending her the picture of him exposing himself.

Ian West, prosecuting, the paedophile hunters set up an online account in the name of Lucy and Smith soon made contact with the supposed young girl.

He said: "Very early on she told the defendant she was 12 and he replied he was 41, which was correct at the time. She told him that she had just moved to Newcastle and he asked whether she was looking for friends or a boyfriend.

"He then asked her about pictures and in due course sent a pictured of his genitals and asked her if she ever got horny. He offered to show her some sexual techniques and that he didn't live very far away from her.

"A few days later he asked her if she performed sex acts on herself and she said no."

Mr West said through good investigative work members of the group were able to track the defendant down to the warehouse in Darlington where he worked the nightshift.

He was arrested at the site and told officers that he didn't believe that the girl was really 12 at all.

Smith, of Station Road, Middleton St George, near Darlington, pleaded guilty to three charges; possessing indecent images of children, distributing indecent images of children and engaging in sexual communication with a child.

In mitigation, Ben Pegman, said his client had been of previous good character before his arrest in June.

He said: "He is someone who is working, he lost his previous employment and his good name."

Smith was caught with one Category B indecent image of a child and 43 in Category C when his mobile phone was seized by police.

Judge Paul Watson QC said: "Taken together these are extremely serious matters but because of these proceedings, you have lost your good name, have convictions of these nature recorded against you and you have lost your job."

Smith was sentenced to a two-year community order and told to carry out 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days.